Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1) Which one is cheaper?
2) Is one more nutritional over the other?
3) What are the preferences for you guys??
4) What else can I feed a caliking besides rodents? Are those the only things they'll eat?
5) would snakes eats bugs?

1) Which one is cheaper?
Foozen is cheaper... unless you breed your own rodents.

2) Is one more nutritional over the other?
I have never done or read a study on this, but i would say if the frozen rodents are even somwhat fresh they would be of equal nutritional value..

3) What are the preferences for you guys??
I only feed frozen.. it's cheaper, way more convieniant, and they never escape or bite me or my snakes.

4) What else can I feed a caliking besides rodents? Are those the only things they'll eat?
I am sure they will eat lizards, other snakes, possibly birds, etc. But, in my opinion feeder rodents would be the most convieniant and cost effective and should be the primary diet of any Cal king.

5) would snakes eats bugs?
Yes, they may eat bugs and i have seen photos of snakes eating crickets, but you would have to feed lots of crickets to a growing kingsnake, so this option will not save you money. Also, bugs do not have bones, so they will not provide any calcium benifit.

Rodents (frozen or live) is the way to go!

Good Luck!

~ Mike Russo

I have been ordering chicks and baby quail. Quials are the size of hopper mice. Chicks are the size of jumbo mice.

Saves a lot of money.
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Rainer,
what's your feeding regimen like on birds as compared to days when you werte feeding rodents? Who is eating the birds in your colony-everyone big enough to eat them or just adults?

daveb
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vote in '08
chris cornell for van halen lead singer...

I should take some pictures of the quial and chicks to show some size comparisons. But the chicks come in slightly different sizes. The quail are real small. Also because the body shape is different on birds it seems to me that a snakes can take them in easier that a mouse that is to large. On a bird the head and neck are very narrow and the body is not as dense and a rodent. Thus it make it easier to swallow to what appears to be to big.

Adult Florida kings -I feed large chicks
small sub adults- I feed small chicks or large quail
Very small (4-5 month and older) -I feed the quail

So I really only need pinkies for newborns and some fuzzies to get them up to size. After that a it is all quail and chicks.
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Interesting info for sure! I can get live quail & chicks, but i rarely if ever see frozen available around here??

Do you feel there is any benifit other than cost?

~ Mike Russo

I believe that day old chicks have just absorbed their remaining yolk before emerging from the egg. Its full of nutrients and lipids with tons of energy. If they are prepped at a day old, a lot of that still remains in the chick and is easily utilized by a snake. yum yum.

check out this link. I haven't found anything else like it except in Susan Barnard's "Reptile Keeper's Handbook" from the early 90's. I think it holds a lot of good information for us herper types.

daveb

Nutrient Composition of Whole Vertebrate Prey Fed in Zoos

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vote in '08
chris cornell for van halen lead singer...

Mike,
This is where I get mine:
http://www.rodentpro.com/
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If kept at 0 deg F, frozen rodents do not lose nutritional content or grow bacteria.
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Mark

Imagine your spouse, friend or family member asking you:

Which do you prefer, fresh or frozen fish? Fresh or frozen vegetables? Frozen or fresh meat?

Simple solution, once we place ourselves in the place of the animal we are caring for as human stewards.

(Live food, with its enzymes, is always more nutritious, and usually prefered.)